


standing at a crossroad

by Tatsumaki_sama



Series: cross your heart and hope to die [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Deal with a Devil, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Magical Realism, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 17:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14525718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: Ann makes a deal with the Phantom Thief.





	standing at a crossroad

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write about Joker being a literal phantom thief and one who could steal hearts for a price. For context, there is no Velvet Room, Igor or Personas (though a certain Persona may make an appearance later in another story). To some degree, Joker can access the Metaverse and Palaces if they manifest. I also decided to tweak the concept of Confidants for this story.

“ Bringing a girl to meet me is your idea of a first date? For shame.”

 

It took most of Ann's restraint to not scream and jump out of her skin at the sudden voice speaking right next to her ear.

 

Because standing behind her when she knew the door was closed and no one else was at the school's rooftop other than her and Ryuji, was the Phantom Thief himself.

 

He appeared as a raven-haired boy not much taller or older than Ann or Ryuji with only a silver mask covering his eyes that were as deep, dark and unfathomable as the ocean and leaving a pleasant mouth that was quirked in amusement. His entire stance and presence simply oozed charisma and confidence. Dressed in an elegant tailored suit and vest and completed with a black high-collared trench coat with crimson gloves carelessly tucked into his pockets, the Phantom Thief looked – for a lack of a better word – _cool_.

 

It was easy to see how so many girls claimed he had stolen their hearts.

 

Ryuji shot her an apologetic look before turning an affronted glare at Joker. “ It's not a date, dude,” he snapped without much heat. He spoke so casually to the creature whose kingdom was the entire city and perhaps even beyond, and who effortlessly evaded the police and authorities who sought to tear him down from his throne for years.

 

Like they were friends.

 

Rumor had it that Ryuji made a deal with the Phantom Thief. After his leg had been injured ( _broken_ by someone, the logical part of their minds hissed) and he quit the disgraced track team, everyone thought he would be too ashamed to return to school. But to the shock of everyone, Ryuji did come back to school with a limp to his leg but still as boisterous, grinning and loud as usual.

 

Which made his time spent up on the rooftop quite suspicious. Some students even claimed they heard Ryuji talking to someone else there, even if there was no evidence of anyone else being there.

 

It was the only lead Ann had and desperate as she was, she confronted Ryuji after school the day after – the incident and demanded that he bring her to see the Phantom Thief. In any other situation, the comical way Ryuji's eyes widened and the slackened drop of his jaw would have made Ann suppress a laugh.

 

But Shiho's situation was no laughing matter.

 

Ryuji stammered and tried to deny it. Even a child would have recognized he was lying. How he managed to evade his classmates' intrusive questions and prying all this time without spilling the beans baffled Ann.

 

In the end, she managed to drag him to the school's rooftop against Ryuji's protests, hoping she could make Ryuji call upon the Phantom Thief.

 

But Joker had his ways of being one step ahead of them.

 

He was grinning. It made him look young and carefree. It made Ann wonder just how old he really was. “ And to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting such a lovely girl?” Joker lightly hummed.

 

If she was a lesser person, she might have flushed and stuttering at the compliment. She was thankful that Ryuji answered for her either way. “ Ann here wants you to ... to change someone's heart,” Ryuji explained, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

 

His smile then vanished, all previous mirth gone. Joker raised an eyebrow at Ann who jutted her chin out defiantly, refusing to break eye contact first.

 

“ And whose heart would that be?”

 

“ Kamoshida.”

 

Ann said that name with a curse, the bitter syllables upsetting her stomach.

 

Joker's gaze continued to pierce through her. She shifted, feeling as if he was looking straight into her very soul.

 

“ I'm afraid that request cannot be granted,” Joker finally said. Ann felt as if the earth could no longer hold her upright.

 

“ Why not?” Ryuji demanded, asking on her behalf.

 

“ The price is too high.” Joker shrugged, almost indifferently. Ann would have been inclined to hit him if not for the solemnity in his eyes and voice. “ Particularly for this target you have chosen. His heart has contorted into his desires, molding and shaping him into who he is now. The price to change his heart will be heavy.”

 

Something burned inside Ann and before she knew it, she already blurted out, “ I can pay it!”

 

“ Even if it is your very own soul?”

 

Ann had not realized Joker was now standing before her, the distance between them almost non-existent. His dark eyes bore into hers, sharp and searching. He was close enough for her to see how black and curved his eyelashes were.

 

She swallowed.

 

“ Yes,” she whispered. “ I would.”

 

For Shiho, she would.

 

Joker's mouth curled. In what emotion, Ann couldn't tell. “ To change one's heart is a hefty cost,” he said, enunciating carefully like he wanted his words to be clearly understood and absorbed. His voice was hypnotizing and soothing to listen to. “ It is in essence overwriting and warping the target into someone they are not, to force them against their will into compliance. Death may even be a certainty for the target. And for this man, it would not be unheard of for him to suffer a mental breakdown and never recover. The potential weight of the crime is not one I would wish for anyone to bear.”

 

“ Then what if we share the price?”

 

Ann had almost forgotten Ryuji was still here. Joker's eyes blinked towards him inscrutably.

 

“ That bastard Kamoshida ruined my life too,” Ryuji continued with dogged determination. “ Remember when you found me that night? Back then, you said the same thing. I couldn't pay the price then but since Ann wants the same thing, I'd figure we can split it. Should be enough for you, right?”

 

The rush of gratitude for Ryuji was tampered by Ann's dread. When this was all over, she decided she would treat him for a meal.

 

Joker's neutral expression did not change as his gaze flickered between the two of them. It was hard to know what he was thinking.

 

Ryuji glared back. Ann fidgeted restlessly. Seconds lengthened in silence.

 

“ Very well.”

 

Joker's very words seemed to make time start again. Ryuji grinned, pumping his fists. Ann could breath freely.

 

“ It will take some time to change a person's heart,” Joker said, all business-like. “ I'll need time to prepare.”

 

“ Well, don't take too long! I'll going to get expelled soon if you take your sweet time!” Ryuji protested.

 

A genuine smile graced Joker's face once more. And yet, there was a deep melancholy behind his eyes, leaving Ann to wonder what it meant. “ Then I shall quickly plan the heist just for you.”

 

With that, he disappeared right before their very eyes.

 

“ He does that,” Ryuji half-heartedly explained to Ann's shock.

 

The Phantom Thief had been nothing like she had imagined and at the same time, everything the gossip and reports had claimed.

 

He was charming, mysterious and magnetic, drawing them in like a moth would to a flame. He was amiable and sincere and pleasant to be around. There was an ancient power drumming and sizzling through the air where he stood, like the atmosphere could hardly contain him. There was an ethereal, otherworldly beauty framing his face, of something that was not quite _right_ in her human eyes.

 

He was very much a creature of myth and legend.

 

He was someone, if given the time, could be called an ally.

 

(later on, when Ryuji escorted her back to the train stations, they both realized that Joker never did tell them what was the price they would have to pay)

 

~.~.~

 

_Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the sinner of lust who placed his twisted desires on those students who cannot fight back. I have decided to steal away your heart and make you confess your sins with your own mouth._

 

_From the Phantom Thief of Hearts_

 

~.~.~

 

The only warning Ann got when she opened her house door was Joker's voice calling out, “ Catch!” before he casually tossed what appeared to be a medal at her.

 

She almost dropped it. “ What's this?”

 

“ The source of Kamoshida's desires.”

 

Ann cast a critical eye on the medal. The golden edges were once polished but now appeared dim, with scratches along its rim. It was hard to believe this little thing was the cause that allowed Kamoshida to act out and eventually resulted in Shiho's attempted suicide.

 

“ Make sure to pawn it off somewhere safe where they won't ask questions,” Joker said as he casually draped himself over the couch. “ I would suggest the Untouchable store in Shibuya.”

 

How Joker would know about such places Ann preferred not to ask.

 

She took great satisfaction in watching Kamoshida attempt to mask his panic under his fury that someone had openly and publicly exposed his crimes for the world to see, much less the notorious Phantom Thief himself.

 

Even if he ripped the calling card from the school's bulletin, word spread like wildfire throughout the school and there was not a single student who whispered and chattered about it.

 

Even if people claimed they heard him urging Kobayakawa to call the police in the principal's office and remained in the staff room for the rest of the day, claiming he was feeling ill.

 

The medal, as revolting as it was to hold it, was proof that the Phantom Thief had performed another perfect heist.

 

“ I didn't get a chance to say thanks.”

 

Joker tilted his head at her. “ What for?” he said, even though they both knew the answer already.

 

“ For keeping your promise. So I guess it's my turn now.”

 

She took a deep breath, preparing herself.

 

“ What is the price then?”

 

Joker's expression remained unfathomable as he surveyed her, his dark eyes piercing. She shifted uncomfortably, just waiting for the moment where he would come and claim her soul and she just hoped it would be as quick and painless as possible.

 

“ You and I shall form a bond.”

 

A beat.

 

“ What?”

 

Ann had heard better pickup lines than this. The grim look in Joker's eyes however indicated that he was not jesting. “ In exchange for the act of changing Kamoshida's heart, I shall require your life force to better my own strength and abilities. To accomplish this, we shall enter into a partnership until one of us expires. A permanent relationship, if you will.”

 

A deal with the devil, someone might say.

 

But Ann had made her decision long ago, the moment she went to find Ryuji. She would not turn her back now, especially when Joker already held his end of the bargain.

 

“ So what do I have to do?”

 

“ All you need to do is simply stay by my side and interact with me.”

 

She blinked, uncertain if she heard right. “ That's it?”

 

Joker grinned in amusement. “ Ryuji said the same thing. Does that displease you? Am I truly that loathsome to be around?”

 

“ N-no! Of course not!” This time, Ann wasn't able to stop the crimson tainting her cheeks. “ It's just – it's not what I expected.”

 

“ Why not? After all, the equivalent exchange of changing another's heart would be that your own heart would be changed also. Is that not the foundations of any relationship, whether romantic, familial or platonic? Nothing can be gained without giving something else in return.”

 

“ But you said before, the price will be heavy,” Ann frowned. “ So far, this doesn't seem that bad to me.”

 

Humor faded from Joker's eyes. “ But it is,” he softly said. “ Perhaps right now it does not seem so. But given time, you, Ryuji and the others who are bound to me will think differently.”

 

“ Others?”

 

“ That is for another time.” Joker gracefully stood up. A stack of tarot cards began fluttering between his hands. She wondered how and when it had appeared without her noticing it. “ I wonder which one you will be,” he murmured, more to himself than to Ann. “ Though I have a guess.”

 

Ann was saved from asking him what he meant when one gleaming card, slid out from the deck and floated before her very eyes, twirling in the air.

 

“ The Lovers. A choice between two paths. A need to make a decision.” Joker smiled. “ Fitting for you.”

 

“ What is it?” Ann reached out to touch the card.

 

“ Our contract.”

 

The card broke into hundreds of tiny blue crystals at the brush of her fingertips. “ Why a tarot card?” Ann finally asked.

 

With the cards nowhere in sight from his hands (how was he able to do that?), Joker's eyes never left Ann. “ The Arcana is the means to which all is revealed.”

 


End file.
